Authentication programs are commonly used to ensure that information entered into a computer, such as via a web site, is entered by a human user of a computing device rather than by an automated program commonly known as a ‘bot’ or an ‘agent’.
Agents are commonly used by computer hackers in order to gain illicit entry to web sites, or to cause malicious damage, for example by creating a large amount of data in order to cause a computer system to crash, by creating a large number of fictitious email addresses in order to send spam, by skewing results of a vote or poll, by entering a contest many times, or by guessing a password or decryption key through a method known as “brute force”.
One example of such a user authentication program presents a string of random characters to a user, and in response the user enters the presented characters. If the user enters the characters correctly, the user is allowed to proceed.
However, agents have adapted to include character recognition in order to circumvent such authentication programs. In response, authentication programs such as CAPTCHA (“Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”) programs have been developed to disguise test characters, for example by adding background noise, or randomly positioning the characters on the screen, rather than in pre-defined rows. Although such programs are generally successful at preventing agents from accessing a computer, it also can be difficult for human users to read such disguised characters. As such, CAPTCHA authentication programs often can be frustrating and tedious to use.
Further, it is well known that obtaining accurate and up-to-date user or customer profile data is a significant challenge for many organisations. Companies and other organisations spend huge sums, or make significant efforts, attempting to obtain accurate customer profile data, such as customer preferences, tastes, habits, and demographic data. That is because it is well established that accurate customer profile data can greatly increase marketing effectiveness and improve sales. However, customers are often frustrated and irritated by the collection of such information, including customer survey forms, registration forms, warranty forms, telemarketing and other techniques used to gain customer profile data. Customers therefore often ignore requests for customer profile data, or customers may provide inaccurate or incomplete customer profile data.
Further, it is well known that companies and other organisations spend huge sums, or make significant efforts, attempting to ensure that real, human consumers view particular marketing materials, and pay each time these materials are viewed. However, agents can generate false impressions that a real human has viewed the material, when in fact no real human has done so. Companies and other organisations lose the effect of the money they pay by spending for these false impressions. As the number of agents rises, the market price falls for each viewing of marketing materials, creating undesirable marketplace distortions. Companies and other organisations wish to pay only for real humans viewing the marketing materials, and stop agents from doing so.
There is therefore a need for an improved method and system for incorporating marketing in user authentication.